


Bloodstream

by Pandoras_hope



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Best Friends, Bisexuality, Blood Kink, Bloodlust, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gay, Lesbian Sex, Love, M/M, Mystic Falls, Sibling Rivalry, Siblings, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Vampires, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-18 13:33:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13101237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandoras_hope/pseuds/Pandoras_hope
Summary: Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, and Caroline Forbes start their junior year of high school as regular teenagers, but where will they end up? Mystic Falls 2009:  Everyone is bi and vampires are descending on the town.  Female Damon Salvatore and female Tyler Lockwood.





	1. Chapter 1

Elena Gilbert actually smiled while getting ready for school that morning.  She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt...well, almost happy.  She finished early, and decided to drive over to Stefan’s to see if he needed a ride to school.  Really she just wanted to see him as soon as possible.  Their kiss last night during the comet had definitely solidified them as a couple, and she hoped he was feeling as good about it as she was.  

When Elena’s parents died in a car crash in April, she thought she’d never be happy again.  But when junior year started there was Stefan: hot new guy who every girl wanted to get to know but who only had eyes for her.  She had never really noticed any of the guys in school before, but there was something different about Stefan. 

She arrived at the Salvatore boarding house to find the front door halfway open.  She pushed it open, frowning.

“Stefan?”  She called.  Her voice echoed back to her from the many large interconnected 

rooms that made up the first floor of the mansion.  Elena had never been inside, and she looked around in wonder.  She felt like she had stepped back in time, taking in the elaborate turn-of-the-century decor and furnishings.  

“You must be Elena.”  A voice came from behind her.  She whirled around, and standing in front of a huge fireplace was a girl she had never seen before.  She was much shorter than Elena, with long raven hair that curled up at the ends.  She approached with swift graceful steps and looked up at Elena with bright blue flashing eyes. 

“I- I’m sorry for barging in.”  Elena stammered.  Something about this girl made her feel unsettled.  “The door was open.”

“I’m Mia.  Stefan’s sister.” 

“Stefan never told me he had a sister.”  Elena challenged her.

“Well, Stefan’s not one to brag.”  She grinned sardonically, and Elena felt chills run up and down her spine.  She shook her head to dispel the feeling.  “Please, come in.”  Mia gestured to the couch in front of the fire.  “I’m sure Stefan will be along any minute.”

“Wow,”  Elena breathed.  “This is your living room?”

“Living room, funeral parlor, ‘70s auction.  It’s a little kitschy for my taste.”

‘Kitschy’ was definitely not the word Elena would use.  Mia was watching her look around in awe.

“I can see why my brother’s so smitten.”  She said out of nowhere. 

Elena looked back at her sharply.  “Excuse me?”

“It’s about time.”  Mia continued.  “I never thought he’d get over the last one.  Nearly destroyed him.”

“The last one?”  Elena frowned.

“Katherine.”  Mia said the name like Elena was supposed to know who she was talking about.  “His girlfriend.”  When she saw the look of utter confusion on Elena’s face she nodded with understanding.  “Ah, you two haven’t had the awkward ‘exes’ talk yet.  You probably will now…”

Elena narrowed her eyes.  It could be her imagination, but she got the impression Mia had orchestrated this conversation to bring up Katherine on purpose.

“Or maybe he hasn’t told you because he doesn’t want you to think he’s on the rebound.”

Elena didn’t take the bait.  This Mia was obviously trying to goad her into getting angry with Stefan.  She had no idea why, but she wasn’t going to let herself be manipulated.  

“Rebound or not, Stefan and I have something real.”  Elena told her.  “And I’m going to see where it goes, no matter how many of his exes you want to bring up to try to make me doubt him.”

“Suit yourself.”  Mia shrugged.  “It’ll still end the same way.  It always does.”

“You say that like every relationship is doomed to end.”  Elena told her.  She was starting to get a sense of why Mia seemed so determined to undermine her relationship with Stefan.  She had obviously been burned by love, and badly.

“I’m a fatalist.”  Mia smirked, confirming what Elena had just been thinking.  “Hello Stefan.”  She greeted her brother without taking her eyes off of Elena.  

Elena turned to see Stefan in the doorway, glowering.  She had never seen him look so angry.  

“Elena,”  He said, his voice cold.  “I didn’t know you were coming over.”

She instantly regretted her snap decision to offer him a ride to school.  “I know I...I should have called…”

“Oh don’t be silly,”  Mia told her.  “You’re welcome any time.  Isn’t she Stefan?”  Mia sauntered over to her brother, challenging him to refute the claim.  He said nothing, only continuing to glare at his sister.  Elena felt her blood run cold and suddenly couldn’t wait to get out of there.  

“Thank you for stopping by Elena.”  Stefan said hollowly, not looking at her.  “It was nice to see you.”

“Okay, yeah, I should probably go.”  Her confusion was turning quickly to anger at the way Stefan was treating her.  She turned and looked into Mia’s eyes, smiling.  “It was nice to meet you, Mia.”

“Great meeting you too, Elena.”  Mia returned, and to Elena’s astonishment took her hand in hers and raised it to her lips, brushing them lightly across her knuckles.  

Elena felt a thrill run through her at the contact, and took her hand back quickly.  She stepped toward the doorway, eager to make her exit, only to find that Stefan was still standing inside it.  He was staring at his sister murderously and didn’t even seem to notice that Elena needed to get past him.  

“Stefan?”  She prompted.  He gave no indication that he had even heard her.  “Stefan?”  She asked again, a little louder.  After a moment he stepped aside, without a word or even so much as a glance at her.  She hurried out, shaking her head to ward off the tears that stung her eyes.  

 

On the drive to school, Elena replayed the conversation with Mia and Stefan over and over in her mind.  Hurt and humiliation washed over her, and the tears that had threatened now spilled down her cheeks.  She had thought that she and Stefan had a connection, that their kiss had meant something.  Obviously it had had the opposite effect on him as it had her.  How could she have let this happen?  She had finally let someone into her heart, had told him things she had never told anyone, and he obviously didn’t care about her at all.  Maybe Mia was right, maybe it had all just been a ruse, a way to get close to her and use her to get over Katherine.  

She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand angrily as she parked in the school parking lot.  There was no way she was going to walk into school crying, she had vowed never to be the sad girl again.  So she held her head high, put on her best smile, and walked in to school.  

Her best friend, Bonnie Bennett, wasn’t fooled.  “Talk to me.”  She demanded.

Elena told her everything that had happened, from the night she and Stefan talked all night, to their kiss during the comet, and finally his complete personality flip this morning.

“Maybe going over there first thing was a mistake.  Was it too forward, too clingy?”

“I don’t think so.”  Bonnie shook her head.  “He seemed really into you last night.  I feel like something deeper is happening here.”  Bonnie always spoke as if she knew what was going on.  She was the one constant, reassuring presence in Elena’s life. 

By the end of school, Stefan hadn’t shown up or contacted her in any way.

“Not even a text.”  She complained to Bonnie.  “But then I realized we never even exchanged that stuff, we never got to the texting part.  I think I really messed up, going over there.  I got serious too fast and freaked him out.”  She sighed.  “The timing was wrong anyway.”

“But when is it ever right?”  Bonnie pointed out.

“At least I put myself out there.”  Elena snapped.

“Is that what you’re calling it?”  Bonnie challenged.

“What do you mean?”

“All I’m hearing is reasons why you can’t.  Stefan is the first guy you’ve ever had feelings for, don’t you think you should at least give him another chance?”

Elena frowned.  Bonnie seemed intent that Elena pursue this, and she was never wrong.  Maybe Stefan was just having a bad day.  She pressed her lips together and nodded in agreement before heading home.

 

* * *

 

Caroline Forbes glared daggers into the back of her rival, Elena Gilbert.  Elena had somehow managed to snag the new school hottie, Stefan Salvatore, even though she herself had made a bid for him first.  It just wasn’t fair, she tried so hard to mold her life into what she wanted it to be, and then Elena just prances through and with no effort at all takes it all away from her.  It didn’t matter what the object was, it always turned out the same way.  Last year Elena was made cheer captain over her- and so what if Elena ultimately quit and relinquished her pom-poms to Caroline?  The fact was that Caroline was always second choice.

When Elena and Bonnie passed out of sight, Caroline turned to head toward her car.  But she stopped in her tracks when she spotted the hottest girl she had ever seen across the grassy field.  The girl had long black hair and was staring right at Caroline with a sexy come-hither smile that made Caroline’s insides melt.  When she was finally able to snap her jaw shut she returned the look with one of her own.  Maybe this day would turn out all right after all.  

But as she started across the field to introduce herself, a group of guys passed in between them and once they were gone, so was the mystery girl.  Caroline frowned.  Who could she be?  She was determined that this time she would be the one to win, and what better way than with gorgeous new arm candy?  She grinned to herself, and as she headed home began plotting ways to discover the identity of the girl and then make her hers. 

 

* * *

 

The next day, Stefan showed up at school.  When Elena saw him, all of her pain a humiliation from the day before came rushing back and she walked past him without a word.  

“Elena,”  He addressed her, touching her elbow lightly in hopes she would stop and talk to him.  She stopped walking, but did not turn or speak to him.  “I’m sorry about yesterday.”  Stefan apologized.  “I...wasn’t myself.”

Elena scoffed.  Maybe that was the truth, but she was realizing that she didn’t really know who he was at all.  

“Yesterday…”  he continued, walking around her so that he could look into her eyes, “that wasn’t about you, okay?”

She really wanted to believe him.  When it was like this, when it was just the two of them, he seemed like the only person in the world who really understood her.  But she also really needed to be able to trust him.

“You never told me you have a sister.”  She challenged.  After all of their deep and heartfelt conversations, Mia had never once come up.  It seemed so strange now, especially since many of their earlier conversations had centered around Elena’s brother Jeremy.  

“We’re not close.  It’s...well it’s complicated.”  He evaded.

“Isn’t family always complicated?”  She wasn’t about to let him slide with that vague explanation.  When he didn’t answer, she continued with her next point.  “Mia told me about your ex, Katherine.”  She studied his face for his reaction.  His brow furrowed in obvious concern.

“What did she say?”

“That Katherine broke your heart.”

A fleeting expression of pain crossed Stefan’s face before he could stop it, and she knew it was the truth.

“That was a long time ago.”  He said.

“When you lose someone it stays with you, always reminding you of how easy it is to get hurt.”  She was speaking from her own experience now.  Losing her parents as a sophomore in high school had changed her irrevocably.  Stefan’s face softened, as usual reading the thoughts behind her words as if she had spoken them aloud. She blinked and looked up at the ceiling, willing the tears not to fall.

“Elena,”  he said softly and she almost broke down.  It was so easy to let her guard down with him.  He never tried to tell her to stop feeling sad, he just let her feel whatever she was feeling.  He had also lost his parents, and so he always knew exactly how she was feeling.  That is why she had taken to him immediately.  He was the only one, aside from Jeremy, who didn’t look at her with pity.  She took a deep breath and tried to steel herself.

“It’s okay, Stefan.”  She sighed.  “I get it.  We met, we talked, and it was epic but then the sun came up and reality set in.”  She couldn’t let herself get emotionally involved with someone who wouldn’t even tell her about the most important things in his life, like his family and his past.  “I’ll see you in class.”  She walked down the hall without looking back.

 

* * *

 

Jeremy Gilbert was late getting to school.  It definitely wasn’t the first time, but at least it was for a real reason this time.  Vicki was still in the hospital, and he had to make sure she was okay.  He would never get the image of her bloody and seemingly lifeless body out of his mind.  It had haunted him since he had found her in the woods during the bonfire party.  He had seen her leave, and he thought he might have a shot at convincing her to get back together with him so he followed her out into the dark.  He nearly tripped over her where she lay, almost dead.

As if by some miracle, she had made a full recovery overnight.  When she first regained consciousness, she told them an animal had attacked her.  But Jeremy was skeptical.  He wasn’t that far behind her and he hadn’t heard or seen any evidence of an animal large enough to do that to a person.  The hospital kept her for a few days under observation, but seeing her awake and smiling this morning had put his mind at ease.  None of this stopped Elena from accosting him as soon as he arrived at school, though.  He was starting to really hate the fact that they went to the same school now.  

“I am so sick of this tough love speech, Jer, it’s clearly having no impact!”  She railed at him.

“You and me both.”  He grumbled.  As expected, she grabbed his arm to prevent him from walking away.  He rolled his eyes.

“I can stop, you know.  Send you to therapy where you’re forced to talk to a stranger about how you let your life fall apart.  Or, you can talk to me.”  Her large brown eyes were pleading with his.  

“I vote for none of the above.”  He wrenched his arm away from her and stalked off.  The only thing keeping him going was the fact that Vicki was getting released today.

 

As soon as school let out he headed to the Mystic Grill to look for Vicki.  Sure enough, there she was standing by the pool tables looking like nothing had ever happened to her.  He grinned and started toward her, but stopped short when she was joined by another girl who wrapped her arms around her.  Tyla Lockwood.  Jeremy felt anger surge through him.  Vicki had never told him she was still with Tyla!  If he had known-  _ Nah. _  He shook his head before he even finished the thought.  Even if he had known they were together he still would have spent the summer with her.  She made everything fun, made him forget about all of his pain.  No, he wasn’t going to give up.  He was going to fight for her, and Tyla had better be ready.  

 

* * *

 

Caroline didn’t have to wait long.  The day after she first spotted her mystery girl, she saw her again.  As she left the grill that night, a dark figure was leaning against her car.  Caroline’s heart sped up.  Could it be?  As she got closer she became positive that it was indeed the girl she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about.  Would she actually get a chance to speak to her this time?  She picked up her pace, determined not to let her get away this time.

When she arrived, she was a little breathless, and not just from the walk.  The girl standing before her was truly a vision.  Her dark hair tumbled around her shoulders in waves, making her blue eyes seem even brighter.  

“I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t startle you.”  Her voice was as smooth as silk.

“No, not at all.”  Caroline breathed.  “Actually, I was hoping I would see you again.”

“I know.”  The girl’s full lips turned up in a seductive smile and Caroline was undone.

“Wow, cocky much?”  She flirted, giving her her best sexy smile and tossing her blonde curls over her shoulder.  

“ _ Very _ much.”  The girl returned, tilting her head forward so she was looking up at Caroline from beneath her thick dark lashes.  Caroline’s insides were twirling and she still hadn’t managed to catch her breath.  “Would you give me a ride?”  The girl asked, and Caroline’s mind whirled through so many scenarios before she realized she meant a ride home, in her car.

“Of course,”  Caroline purred, giving her her best bedroom eyes.  “Where do you live?”  She asked as they got into Caroline’s car.

“The Salvatore boarding house.”  She answered, then leaned over the center console to whisper in Caroline’s ear.  “It’s my family’s old place.”

“Your family?”  Caroline asked, trying to keep her head clear enough to drive.  “Then you must be-”

“Mia Salvatore.  But I was kinda hoping we could go back to your place instead?”  Mia traced her fingers up and down Caroline’s bare arm, making her shiver deliciously.

The implication was clear and Caroline grinned.  This just kept getting better and better.

 

The house was dark when they arrived, and Caroline invited Mia upstairs to her room.  They had barely gotten through the door when Caroline felt Mia’s arms encircle her from behind.  

“I wanted you from the first moment I saw you,”  Mia breathed into her ear, and Caroline’s heart raced.  Those were the words she had always wanted to hear.  It felt like Mia’s hands were touching her everywhere at once, gentle here and firm there.  Mia’s lips were moving from the nape of her neck and over her shoulder, her tongue exploring while she unzipped the back of Caroline’s dress. It fell to the floor in a heap and she stepped lightly out of it wearing only her heels. 

Caroline felt her breath racing as desire surged through her.  Not one to be topped, she turned to face Mia and advanced on her with a wicked grin.  She pressed her naked body against Mia’s, backing her up until she was against the wall, and kissed her deeply.  

Mia returned her kiss fiercely.  Caroline unbuttoned Mia’s shirt slowly, kissing her full lips and then moving down her jaw to her neck.  She kissed her neck, using her teeth to nibble Mia’s earlobe.  Then before she knew what was happening Mia had pushed her all the way backward to the bed.  She pushed her forcefully down onto the bed and gazed down at her, looking her up and down hungrily.  Caroline posed for her, inviting her in.  

Mia slowly finished undressing while Caroline watched, then crawled seductively on top of her.  She kissed her in between her breasts, over her ribcage and down her navel.  Caroline squirmed and moaned, thinking the anticipation would kill her.  

But when Mia raised her head to look up at her, Caroline’s heart stopped and she froze.  Mia’s face had changed.  Her eyes were black, and blood had engorged the veins beneath them.  From her lips sharp fangs protruded, and Caroline screamed.

Mia closed her eyes, and when she opened them she looked normal again.  

“Don’t be afraid of me.”  She told Caroline, her eyes dilating.  Caroline felt her sudden terror melt away, and she was once again looking at the object of her desire.  Mia smiled her sexy smile and continued kissing every inch of Caroline’s body long into the night. 


	2. Chapter 2

Caroline awoke to sunlight streaming in from her bedroom window.  She gazed over at the sleeping form of Mia Salvatore, taking in the beautiful sight of her pale skin in the morning light.  Then sudden fear gripped her.  Wouldn’t Mia burn in the sunlight?  She hastily covered her with the blanket.  One thing had become clear to her after their night together.  Mia possessed an inhuman beauty, a strength that surpassed her petite frame, and of course there were the fangs.  Caroline had read all the books:  Mia was definitely a vampire.  

She felt chills of excitement run up and down her body.  She couldn’t believe her luck.  Last night she had slept with a vampire.  It was the most incredible sex she had ever experienced.  If she played her cards right, this could be the best thing that ever happened to her.

 

* * *

 

Elena got to school early and sat outside at the picnic table to wait for Bonnie.  A few minutes later, Stefan approached her.

“Hi,”  He greeted her.

“Hi.”  Her anger at him was still there, but she also had Bonnie’s voice in the back of her mind telling her to give him a second chance.

“I know that you’re still upset with me, but I was hoping you would let me make it up to you my cooking you dinner tonight?”

“You’re gonna cook?”  Elena raised her eyebrows in surprise.  One thing was for sure, Stefan definitely wasn’t like any of the other guys in high school.

“I actually do a lot of the cooking in my house.”  He grinned.

“So, Mia doesn’t help you?”  Elena asked pointedly and Stefan frowned.

“I told you, we’re not close.”  

“You did tell me, but that’s all you’ve told me.  Stefan, if we’re going to make this work we have to be open with each other.  No secrets.”

He closed his eyes as if in pain.  “I don’t know if I can.”  He told her honestly.

“Will you at least try?”  She pleaded with him.

“Okay.”  He relented.

“Okay,”  Elena grinned.  “So tonight?  Dinner at my place?”

“Tonight.”  He agreed.

 

* * *

 

Bonnie got to school just as the bell rang, feeling flustered and out-of-sorts.  Her dreams had been filled with foreboding, and she knew something bad was going to happen soon.  It was the worst part about her gift.

Bonnie Bennett had always known that she was different from all of her friends.  She knew things before anyone else did.  But so far she hadn’t figured out how to use her gift to change things, to stop the bad things she had sensed from happening.  

She was lost in thought when she hurried down the hall, trying to decipher the number sequence that had repeatedly shown up in her dreams.  She wasn’t looking where she was going and collided with someone at full speed.  When she made contact with them, new images flashed through her mind:  blood, hunger, and above all, death.

She gasped and reeled back, terrified to look into the face of so much evil but unable to  stop herself.  When she realized who it was she was shaken to her very core.  It was Stefan Salvatore.

 

* * *

 

Jeremy spent the lunch hour outside by the parking lot, smoking.  He was trying to figure out a way to talk to Vicki alone, make her realize that he was the best choice for her.  As if in answer to his wish, he saw her walking toward him with a huge smile on her face.

“I totally rock!”  She cried.  “Two tickets to The Posers tonight, you and me.”  She brandished the tickets and held them out to him, but the moment he reached for them she snatched them back and ran away, giggling.  Jeremy chased her, easily catching up and grabbing her by the waist, swinging her around until they were both out of breath.  

They fell to the grass and lay there staring up at the sky, hands entwined.  But their perfect moment was interrupted when the bell rang and a P.E. class exited the gym to run laps around the field.  To Jeremy’s dismay he spotted Tyla among them, and his face darkened.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna take Tyla tonight instead?”  He asked Vicki before he could stop himself.  She yanked her hand away and looked at him.

“What?”

“I saw you two at the grill the other night.”

“Look, we’re just having fun.”  Vicki brushed it off.  “Don’t go getting all jealous boyfriend on me.  I like spending time with you, and I like hanging with Tyla.  Do you have a problem with that?”

He did, but he wasn’t about to screw up his chances by telling her that.  

“Nah, we’re good.”  He said, and pulled her close.  He was rewarded by a glimpse of Tyla across the field.  She had noticed them there and didn’t look too happy about it.   _ Get used to it, _ Jeremy thought, and grinned at Tyla over the top of Vicki’s head.

 

* * *

 

Caroline had asked Mia to wait around the corner after school until the quad was packed with people.  She had orchestrated the moment perfectly.  Mia revved the engine of her bright blue convertible Camaro and peeled around the corner, coming to a screeching stop right in front of the school.  Naturally, everyone turned to look and Caroline strode confidently through the crowd to hop into the passenger seat.  All eyes were on them, and the attention fueled her libido.  She kissed Mia passionately, only stopping when the whistles and catcalls became annoying.  

She looked back at the crowd, trying her best to look as if she had just gotten swept up in the moment and was a little embarrassed that they had all seen it, rather than the truth:  that she wanted everyone to see that she had the coolest, hottest girlfriend.  She scanned the crowd, searching for her nemesis Elena.  She saw her sitting with Bonnie within earshot, so Caroline took advantage.

“I got the other Salvatore,”  she called out to her.  “Hope you don’t mind!”  And with that Mia gunned the engine and they took off.

 

* * *

 

“That’s a charming new development.”  Elena remarked dryly as they watched Caroline and Mia speed away.  

“Did she mean Salvatore as in Stefan?”  Bonnie’s voice was barely above a whisper and her face was ashen.

“Yep, that’s the one and only Mia.  I wonder how they met?”  Elena was frowning.  She had planned on suggesting to Stefan that Mia join them for dinner tonight, but now that Caroline was with her there was no way she would extend an invite.  Then she had an idea.  “So Bonnie, how would you like to come over for dinner tonight?”

“I’d love to!”  She agreed heartily.  A friend dinner was just what she needed to shake the growing feeling of dread that was permeating her life.  

“Great!  Stefan’s coming over around five to start cooking, so anytime after that.”  Elena grinned, sure that her friend would be happy that she had taken her advice.

Bonnie’s heart felt constricted.  “Stefan?”  She squeaked.

“Yeah,”  Elena confirmed.  “I took your advice, and I’m giving him a second chance.  It just makes sense for you to be there too.”

“Tonight’s no good.”  Bonnie shook her head, trying keep her hands from shaking.  It seemed like ages ago that she had been encouraging her best friend to give a guy she had just met another chance after he had treated her like dirt.  What had she been thinking?

“Please Bonnie?”  Elena begged.  “I can’t think clearly when I’m around him, I need your perspective.”

“I really can’t.”  Bonnie repeated.

“Because Stefan’s gonna be there?  You won’t be the third wheel at all I promise.”  Bonnie shook her head again, and Elena eyed her suspiciously.  “What are you not telling me?”

“It’s stupid.”  Bonnie looked at the ground, chewing on her lower lip.

“Come on, Bonnie, spit it out.”  

“I accidentally ran into Stefan, like literally ran into him, and I got a really bad feeling.”  She shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant, but Elena wasn’t fooled.  Bonnie had been having these feelings about things for as long as she could remember.  She had had one the night of the accident that killed Elena’s parents, but Elena hadn’t listened.  She would never forgive herself for that.  Her brow furrowed.

“Do you think something bad is about to happen to him?”  She asked, voice quavering.  Bonnie shook her head, set her jaw, and turned to walk away.  Elena tugged her arm to stop her.

“It’s nothing!  I’m just concerned.  This is just me showing concern about my best friend’s new boyfriend.”

“And I love you for that.  But...I feel good.  This is the first time all year that I’ve started to feel like things might be getting back to normal again, and Stefan’s a big part of that.  Will you please help me?  I need you.”

Bonnie shifted from foot to foot until eventually her loyalty to her best friend overcame her trepidation about Stefan.

“Fine,” she agreed.  “I’ll go.”

Elena squealed and hugged her.  Bonnie hoped she had somehow been wrong about Stefan.

 

* * *

 

Stefan arrived at her door right at five o’clock.  Elena let him in, noting the grocery bags he carried looked full to bursting.  

“Jeremy told me that chicken parmesan is your favorite, and it happens to be one of my specialties.  Italian roots demand it.”  He grinned.  She couldn’t resist smiling back at him as she led him into the kitchen.  She watched in amazement as he immediately unpacked the bags and began chopping garlic like it was second nature.  She knew she had a million questions to ask him, but just then she couldn’t remember a single one.

“You want to get to know me, right?”  He asked as if reading her mind.  She nodded, unable to deny that he still captivated her.  “Well I figure, before you dump me, you should at least know who you’re dumping.”  He grinned again and her knees felt like jelly.  She wished Bonnie would get here soon.  She could never seem to think clearly when his green eyes were looking at her like that.  She was having trouble remembering why she was supposed to be mad at him.

“So let’s start with Katherine.”  He continued.   _ Oh yeah, _ Elena thought,  _ that’s why. _  “She was the most beautiful girl that I had ever met.”  Elena sucked in her breath.  That stung a little.  “She had this perfect olive skin.  And she had this laugh, it was...it was ridiculous, I mean her laugh would make you laugh.  And she was fun, she knew how to have a good time.”  He smiled wistfully as he remembered and Elena felt like she had been punched in the gut.  How could she ever compete with that?  Then he went on.  “But Katherine was also very impatient, entitled, selfish, and impulsive.”  His eyes bored into hers.  “It ended...badly.  I did some things I’m not proud of, and one of my deepest regrets is that I didn’t get a chance to make it right before…”  He trailed off, eyes now downcast.

“Before what?”  Elena asked him softly. 

“Before she died.”  He looked back up at her, gauging her reaction.  Elena immediately reached out to take his hand in hers.  Her heart was breaking for him.  Not only had he lost his parents, he had also lost his girlfriend.  She could easily imagine the depth of his pain, and her anger dissolved instantly.  

“How did she die?”  She asked, her voice full of emotion.

“In a fire.”  He answered, choking on the words as if he felt it was his fault.  She reached for him, held him tightly to her as if she could take some of his pain into herself.

When they finally broke apart her eyes were misty and she wiped them, clearing her throat.

“So,”  she said, trying her best to sound cheerful.  “What else can you tell me about the mysterious Stefan Salvatore?”

He grinned, clearly appreciating her renewed interest in him, and resumed chopping vegetables.

“Well, let’s see.  I already told you about my journals- thank you, by the way, for not laughing at me about that-”

“Well that would be just a bit hypocritical considering you found me in the cemetery writing in my diary.”  She reminded him.

“So you shouldn’t be surprised to learn I’m an avid reader.  Huge Fitzgerald fan- the Great Gatsby, his masterpiece- but I’m no snob, I also love a good Grisham.  I think Seinfeld is the greatest American television show of the past fifty years but I Love Lucy is my all-time favorite- the Loving Cup episode is the best I think.  Huge Scorsese fan, I could watch Taxi Driver over and over again.”  He smiled while he talked, hardly looking down at what he was doing.

Elena hung on his every word, marveling that a person who had suffered so much in his life could still manage to find joy in simple things like cooking dinner and talking about books.  He turned around to check the water he had boiling on the stove.

“Here, let me.”  Elena picked up the knife and started chopping where he’d left off, trying to imitate the effortless way he had of doing it.  

“As far as music it’s pretty much across the board.  Dylan, Hendrix, Willie, Bon Jovi, a little Kanye,”  He turned back around and wrapped his arms around her.  “I even like that one Miley song.”  

At that, Elena cracked up laughing.  

“Easy!”  He laughed with her.

“I said nothing!”  She defended.  She didn’t know if he was being serious, but it felt like every new thing she learned about him reinforced how different he was from everyone else at her high school.  She grabbed one of the last cloves of garlic waiting to be chopped.  “Hey, this is for the garlic bread right?  Because I’m not eating garlic unless you agree to it too!”  She smiled at him suggestively, and in answer he popped the last little clove into his mouth.

“Are you kidding?  I love garlic.”  He smiled back at her, tracing her hip bones with his thumbs and making her shiver.  She had almost finished chopping the garlic and was hurrying now, eager to see where the evening would take them.  She wasn’t paying attention and nicked her finger at the tip.

“Ouch!”  She cried, and watched a drop of blood emerge and run down her finger.

Stefan pushed himself away from her, almost knocking into the boiling water behind them.

“Are you okay?”  Elena asked as she ran to the sink to run water over her cut.  While she stood there she glanced up, looking at Stefan’s reflection in the window.  What she saw seized her with a primal fear that set her heart racing.  Stefan’s face had transformed into a visage of horror:  eyes black, rimmed with red and surrounded by huge veins that pulsated in time with her pounding heart.  His lips curled back in a snarl to reveal deadly fangs dripping with venom.  

She whirled around, unsure what had just happened.  Stefan had his back to her, and appeared to be wiping up the tiny drop of blood that had fallen onto the kitchen counter.

“I should be asking you that.”  He said, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“Stefan,”  She breathed, “your face!”  She put a hand on his shoulder, trying to turn him around to look at her.  He wouldn’t turn.

“Sorry, I think I got some onion powder in my eye.”  He explained, still not looking at her.  Elena frowned.  Had she imagined what she had just seen?  Finally he turned to look at her, and he looked just the same as he always did.  She sighed in relief.

“Wow,”  she said, laughing at herself.  “I think I must be tired or something.”

“I’ll make you a cappuccino,” he said, taking a step toward her.  She felt the heat between them return forcefully, and he took another step.  Her heart was thundering in her ears, for a very different reason now.  Another step, and he was just inches away from her.  He leaned toward her slowly, slowly, and suddenly she couldn’t stand to have any more space in between them.  She closed the distance, reaching her lips up to meet his and wrapping her arms around the back of his neck as she kissed him.  She couldn’t believe this incredible person was standing there in her kitchen, wanting her just as much as she wanted him.

Then the doorbell rang.  They both groaned, but then Elena remembered she had invited Bonnie to join them for a reason.  She needed a third-party perspective on Stefan.  He was so wonderful when they were alone, but around other people he could be standoffish and even downright rude.

“I invited Bonnie.”  She told him quickly, rushing to answer the door.        

 

When the three of them sat down to eat it was in a very awkward silence.  As predicted, Stefan had transformed from charming and romantic into stoic and silent.  Bonnie was no help either.  She kept glancing at him like she expected him to suddenly do something weird.  Elena was on her own to keep the conversation going.

“So, Bonnie, tell Stefan about your family.”

“Um, divorced, no mom, live with my dad.”  She mumbled.

“No,”  Elena laughed.  “I meant about the witches.”  Stefan turned to look at Elena, suddenly very intent on what she was saying.  “Bonnie is descended from a lineage of witches.  It’s really cool.”

“‘Cool’ isn’t the word I’d use.”  Bonnie snapped.

“Well, it certainly is interesting.”  Stefan engaged Bonnie now for the first time.  “I’m not too versed, but I know there is a history of celtic druids that migrated here in the late 1800s.”

Elena grinned.  She knew Stefan couldn’t resist conversation about anything historical.

“Actually, my family came by way of Salem.”  Bonnie said, still short.

“Really,”  Stefan leaned toward her.  “Salem witches.  And your last name is Bennett?”

“Uh-huh.”  Bonnie picked at the food on her plate, looking really uncomfortable.

“I wonder…”  Stefan muttered to himself, still staring at Bonnie as if trying to memorize her features.  Elena was the one feeling uncomfortable now.

They were all startled when the doorbell rang yet again.

“I didn’t invite anyone else.”  Elena frowned, getting up to answer it.  She opened the door to find none other than Caroline and Mia.

“Surprise!”  Caroline said brightly, holding up a store-bought cake.

“Stefan told me you were doing dinner tonight, so we brought dessert.”  Mia smiled.  “Hope you don’t mind.”

Suddenly Stefan appeared at Elena’s shoulder.

“What are you doing here?”  He demanded.  Caroline rolled her eyes and stalked past them to place the cake on the table.  

“Waiting for Elena to invite me in.”  Mia’s smile never faltered.

“Oh sure you-”  Elena started.

“No, no, no!”  Stefan cut her off.  “She can’t...um, she can’t stay.  Can you, Mia.”  He stared at his sister, daring her to disagree.

“Just get in here,”  Caroline urged her.

“We’re almost done anyways, time to call it a night.”  Stefan said, grabbing his jacket to leave.  Elena was starting to get really annoyed by his personality flips.

“It’s fine, just come on in.”  She told Mia, who grinned triumphantly.  Her boot heels clicked on the wood floor as she crossed the threshold, accentuating the look of victory she shot at Stefan as she passed.

“You have a beautiful home Elena.”  Mia smiled at her and she smiled back.  

“Thank you.”

Stefan was glowering and Elena gave him a disparaging look after Mia walked away.  She didn’t know what his problem with his sister was, but it was time to find out, even if it meant spending an evening with Caroline Forbes.

Everyone sat in the living room while Elena served up the cake Caroline had brought.  While she was slicing, Jeremy came down the stairs with Vicki in tow.

“Hey Jer, you want some cake?”  She offered him.

“We’re on our way out.  Concert tickets.”  He replied.  He continued toward the front door but Vicki was frozen on the spot, staring at Mia.

“I know you,”  she murmured.

“Well that’s unfortunate,”  Mia answered as she leaned back against the couch and put her arm around Caroline’s shoulders.

“I don’t know how but…”  Vicki took a hesitant step toward them.  “Your face…”

“Hey back off Donovan,”  Caroline snapped.  “Don’t you have some opium den to go pass out in?”

“Hey!”  Jeremy took a step forward now.

“Bye Jeremy!”  Elena rushed forward, pushing them out the door before things could escalate.  She secretly wished she could push Caroline out the door too, but she was too invested in finding out more about Mia.

Elena heaved a sigh of relief when she finally sat down on the couch next to Stefan.  The mood in the room was tense, but that didn’t stop Caroline from babbling away about nothing in particular.  

“So when are you re-joining the squad, Elena?”  Caroline asked her out of nowhere.

“Um, what?”  Elena almost choked on the bite of cake she’d just taken.

“Oh come on, you loved cheering even more than I do.  How can you just give it up like that?”

“I didn’t know you were a cheerleader.”  Stefan sounded surprised.

“Yeah, you don’t really seem like the cheerleader type.”  Mia added.

“Things changed.”  Elena told them shortly.  It seemed like so long ago, another lifetime.

“Oh, it’s just cuz her parents died.”  Caroline explained like no one here knew what had happened.  “She’s totally going through a ‘blah’ phase right now, but she used to be way more fun.”

Elena decided that no amount of insight into Stefan’s family life was worth this.  She stood abruptly and started gathering everyone’s plates, whether they were done eating or not.  When she reached for Mia’s, she found herself caught by her bright blue eyes which were now full of empathy.  

“I’m sorry, Elena.”  Mia told her genuinely.  “I know what it’s like to lose both your parents.  In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we’ve ever cared about die.”

Elena was almost overcome by the sadness in Mia’s eyes, and had to turn away.  She took the dishes into the kitchen and tried to collect herself.  

“One more,” came a voice from behind her.  She turned to see Mia bringing an empty glass and reached for it.  The glass slipped out of her hand, but before it could hit the floor and shatter Mia had snatched it up faster than Elena would think possible.  She laughed in relief and took the glass again, carefully this time.

“Nice save.”  She told Mia, still laughing.

“I like you,”  Mia answered.  “You know how to laugh.  And you make Stefan smile, which is something I haven’t seen in a very long time.”  Mia started helping her load the dishwasher while they talked.

“Earlier, did you mean Katherine?”  Elena asked, starting to get an inkling of the reason behind the Salvatore sibling rivalry.  Mia nodded.  “What was she like?”  Elena pressed, determined to figure this out.

“She was beautiful,”  Mia answered wistfully, looking off into the distance for a moment before looking back at Elena.  “A lot like you in that department.”  Elena blushed at the compliment.  “She was also very complicated,”  Mia went on.  “Selfish, and at times not very kind but very sexy and seductive.”  Mia’s lips curled into a seductive smile of her own as she remembered, confirming what Elena had been suspecting.  This conversation was almost identical to the one she’d had earlier with Stefan.

“So which one of you dated her first?”  Elena challenged, handing Mia a plate to load.  Mia blinked in surprise, then took the plate.

“Nicely deduced.”  She sounded impressed.  “But you’ll have to ask Stefan that one.  I’m sure his answer differs from mine.”  Her voice turned bitter and Elena softened.  

“I’m sorry,”  Elena told her gently.  “You lost her too.”  Mia stared at her with an unfathomable expression, and the silence stretched out between them.  Then Elena cleared her throat, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

“So, why quit cheerleading?”  Mia changed the subject, breaking their eye contact.

“Things are different now,”  Elena closed the dishwasher and started folding up placemats.  “Everything that used to matter just…doesn’t anymore.”

“Some things could matter again,”  Mia said softly, and Elena once again found herself lost in those sky-blue eyes.

“Hey,”  Bonnie said as she approached the kitchen, interrupting the moment.  “Need some help?”

“Sure,”  Elena answered, indicating the rest of the placemats that needed folding.  “Why not.”  She smiled at her best friend.  Mia inclined her head toward Elena and then headed back out to the living room.

 

When she was sure they couldn’t be overheard, Elena broached the subject of Stefan with Bonnie.  

“So, what do you think now?  Are you still concerned about Stefan?”  She asked.

Bonnie nodded solemnly.  “There’s something off about him, don’t you think?  I mean, he seemed overly interested by my Salem witch history.  Most people think I’m joking and laugh it off.  But he was so serious…”

“He loves history, you know that.  Remember the way he challenged Mr. Tanner the other day?”  Elena defended him.

“That’s right!  See, no normal teenager knows the date of every significant event in American history.”

“So, he’s a little different, but that’s what I like about him.”

“Just...be careful, okay?  Take it slowly?”  Bonnie cautioned.

“What is it about him?  What did you see when you touched him?”

“You know what, just forget I said anything.”  Bonnie put on her best smile.  “Your little dinner party plot totally won me over.”

“No, Bonnie, seriously.  What was it?  Did you see something?”

Bonnie sighed in defeat.  “It wasn’t clear like a picture.  When I touched Stefan, it was just a feeling.  And it vibrated through me, and it was cold, and it…”  She couldn’t continue.  Her face was drained of color and she was trembling.

“Bonnie,”  Elena’s voice broke.  “Is something bad going to happen to him?”

Bonnie shook her head.  “What I felt from Stefan, it was something inside him.”

“It’s okay Bonnie, you can tell me.”

“It was death.”  She said, and the certainty of her words hit Elena like a hailstorm.  She shivered, suddenly remembering the macabre reflection she’d seen in the window earlier.  

“What do you think that means?”  Elena whispered.

“I think it means that wherever Stefan goes, death will follow.”


	3. Chapter 3

Elena spent most of Saturday at home, hiding out.  She was trying to sort through her feelings about Stefan.  Bonnie’s warning had chilled her to the core, and she needed a way to figure out if there was any truth to it.  Her phone had been ringing off and on all day, and she finally checked her messages with a groan.  Some of the calls were from Stefan.  The rest were from Bonnie, and she became more insistent with each subsequent voicemail, begging Elena to meet her at the pep rally that night.

Elena frowned.  The last thing she wanted to do was go out, least of all to a pep rally, but Bonnie had just done her a huge favor and she owed her one.  She decided to drag Jeremy with her, who for once didn’t have Vicki attached to his face.  

 

* * *

 

They arrived at the high school just as it was getting dark, the full moon rising above the trees that surrounded the courtyard.  The football team already had a bonfire going, along with a grossly exaggerated effigy of the rival team’s mascot that they would promptly burn.  Jeremy shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and hunched his shoulders, wishing he could be anywhere else.  Why had he let Elena talk him into going with her?  She looked just as miserable as he felt.  

The second her attention was diverted he ducked away, looking for an exit.  As luck would have it, some of the guys from school had brought a bottle of something and were passing it around.  Jeremy joined in, grateful for the distraction.  The alcohol immediately made him feel more relaxed.  After a few rounds, he was laughing and hi-fiving with them like they’d been lifelong friends.  

Their laughter was becoming more boisterous, and others began to take notice.  Someone broke away from the crowd gathered around the bonfire and started toward them.  It was Tyla, surrounded by a bunch of her jock friends and accompanied by one Vicki Donovan.  Jeremy couldn’t help it, he stood up and glared at them.  He knew he was supposed to be pretending he was cool with everything, but he felt the opposite of cool just then.  

He saw his anger reflected in Tyla’s dark brown eyes and knew she felt the same way.  “Is that Jeremy?”  He heard her ask Vicki.  She started marching toward him without waiting for an answer, and he squared his shoulders in answer to the challenge.

“No no, Ty, no!”  Vicki pleaded with her, but she kept coming.  Jeremy was ready.

Tyla approached him with an exaggerated swagger.  Her black hair was tied back with a red bandana to match her basketball jersey.  She was trying so hard to look tough that Jeremy failed to prevent a smirk from crossing his face.  That only made things worse.

“What are you looking at, Gilbert?”  She spat at him.  “You’ll get her when I’m done.”

That wiped the smirk right off of Jeremy’s face.  He launched himself forward and took a swing at her before anyone had time to react.  His fist connected with a sickening crunch, and before he knew it he was on the ground getting pummeled.  

“Stop!”  Vicki cried.  “Tyla stop, you’re hurting him!”

People were trying to push Tyla off of him, but she wouldn’t budge.  Finally someone pulled her away.  Jeremy tried to see who it was, but when he moved his head spun and he fell back to the grass, then rolled over and retched painfully.  His insides felt like they’d been turned into mulch.  He closed his eyes and lay back again, letting the cool night air clear his head.  The sounds of the crowd sounded farther and farther away, and he let himself drift off peacefully.

 

* * *

Elena was searching the pep rally crowd for Bonnie.  This was the last place she wanted to be tonight.  Everywhere she looked, she was reminded of her former life:  leading the squad while her mom coached happily from the sidelines.  She had wanted to be a cheerleader ever since her mom had shown her her own high school yearbook, when she herself was captain.  The memories were still fresh wounds in her heart.  

Suddenly she heard a loud commotion and started toward the sound.  When the crowd parted, it took her a moment to make sense of the scene playing out in front of her.  Two people were fighting in the grass, and one of them definitely had the upper hand.

“Enough, he’s down!”  Stefan shouted, throwing himself on top of one of the fighters.  They struggled for a moment, then Elena watched with horror as the other person grabbed a broken liquor bottle and ran at Stefan.  He put his hands up to stop the attack, and the sharp edge of the glass bit into his palm.  Elena shrieked and rushed to his side.  

“Stefan, your hand!”  She reached for him, but he pulled quickly away from her.

“I’m fine,” he told her as he wiped the bleeding wound on his jeans.

“Is it deep?”  She asked him, full of worry.  “How bad is it?”  She grabbed his arm and he clenched his hand into a fist, refusing to let her see.  When she finally pried his fingers open she was shocked to find not so much as a scratch.  “But...I saw it…”  She stammered.

“She missed.”  Stefan reassured her.  Elena shook her head.  She knew what she had seen.  “It’s not my blood.”  He once again wiped his hand on his jeans and showed his palm to her.  “See?  I’m fine.”

“No, I saw it, the glass cut your hand, it was bleeding!”  Elena protested shrilly.

“Hey, hey.”  He murmured, pulling her into a hug.  “Shh, I’m okay.  I’m okay.”

Elena hugged him back, frowning in confusion.  What had just happened?

“We need to check on Jeremy.”  Stefan told her.

“Jeremy?  Why, where is he?”  Elena looked around frantically.  The crowd was still gathered, standing around a prone figure on the grass.  Vicki Donovan, tears streaming down her cheeks, was screaming at Tyla Lockwood.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Ty?  You could have killed him!”  Her voice cracked and she broke down sobbing.

“I don’t know.”  Tyla’s voice sounded empty.  “I don’t know.”  She turned and walked away, stumbling as if she couldn’t see where she was going.  As soon as she was gone, Vicki’s brother Matt came up and put his arms around his sister’s shoulders, helping her up off the grass.

“What are you doing, Vic?”  His question was gentle, but the implication was clear:  This fight had been about her.

Elena felt dread hit her stomach like a lead weight and she lurched forward, pushing her way roughly through the crowd.  

“Jeremy?”  Her voice sounded surreal in her ears.  “Jeremy?!”  Then she saw him lying on his back, eyes closed and skin pallid.  She fell to her knees, not caring that tears were blurring her vision, and shook him.  She was gentle at first, but when he didn’t answer she shook him harder and harder.  Her words were becoming unintelligible but she kept talking to him, willing him to wake up.  Finally he moaned and his forehead wrinkled in his familiar annoyed grimace.  Elena barked a laugh, crying harder in her relief.  Just then the ambulance showed up to transport him to the hospital.  Elena climbed in with him, refusing to let go of his hand as they loaded him in on a stretcher.

 

Elena called their aunt Jenna on the way to the hospital, and she was on her way to meet them.  When they arrived, the paramedics wouldn’t let her into the emergency room and she was forced to head to the waiting room.  To her surprise, Stefan was already there. 

“What are you doing here?”  She asked him, though she was immediately grateful to have him here for support.

“I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”  He answered, pulling her into his arms.  She relaxed against him, welcoming his calming presence.  

“Thank you,”  She told him, leaning back to look into his deep green eyes.  “If you hadn’t pushed Tyla off of him…”  She squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to think about what might have happened.

“They had been drinking, things got out of hand.”  Stefan tried to downplay his heroics as he smoothed her hair with his hands.  But his words suddenly reminded Elena of what she had seen before she realized Jeremy had been hurt.  She opened her mouth to ask him about his hand again, but just then aunt Jenna burst into the waiting room.

“Elena!”  She cried, rushing over to her.  “Thank god, are you okay?”  She hugged her tightly.  

“I’m fine,”  Elena promised her.

“Where is he?  What happened?”

“He’s in the ER.  There was a fight and he got pretty banged up.”

“Oh, god.”  Jenna fell into a nearby chair and put her face in her hands.  Elena sat next to her, holding her hand.  

“I’m going to go hunt down some coffee,”  Stefan told them, giving Elena a quick kiss on the forehead before turning to leave.

“Hey was that-?”  Jenna asked.

“Stefan.”  Elena confirmed.  “Yup.”

 

Stefan returned with three steaming cups of coffee and they sat sipping them in silence.  A short while later, Vicki and Matt found them.  Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked like she didn’t want to meet Elena’s eyes.

“I’m so so sorry.”  She croaked, her voice hoarse.  “I had no idea...I mean if had even thought that Ty would…”

“Vicki, it’s okay.”  Elena told her gently.  “This wasn’t your fault.”  She hugged Vicki and then Matt.  She and Matt had been friends since kindergarten, and she had known Vicki since she was born.  She knew that neither of them would ever want Jeremy to get hurt.  

“So how is he?”  Matt asked.

“We don’t know yet.”  Jenna’s voice was strained.  “We’re still waiting for them to tell us something, anything.”

Vicki looked like she was going to start crying again, until Stefan approached her.  “I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”  He told her, and the way he said it made Elena feel like he was right, like everything was actually going to be okay.  But Vicki’s eyes narrowed.

“I’ve seen you here before.”  She told him.

“He goes to school with us, Vic.”  Matt reminded her.

“No, I mean I’ve seen him here, at the hospital.”  She clarified.  “You came to visit me.”

“I don’t think so.”  Stefan told her uncomfortably.   

“Yes, you did, I remember.”

“Okay, yeah, I did come by to see how you were doing but you were still asleep.”

“No.”  Vicki shook her head adamantly.  “You were in my room.  You told me I had been attacked by an animal.”

“Stefan, what is she talking about?”  Elena asked him.  Matt was eyeing him suspiciously.

“I have no idea.”  He answered forcefully, and Elena felt her skin turn cold.  It was happening again, his personality flip.  She was about to press the issue when a doctor walked up to them.

“Are you Jeremy Gilbert’s family?”  She asked.

“Yes,”  Jenna replied.  “How is he?”

“He’s going to be fine.”  She smiled, and Elena felt weak with relief.  “He has a concussion and a cracked rib, but no internal bleeding or head trauma.”  Her face turned stern.  “He was very lucky.  His blood alcohol was over the legal limit.  This could have turned out much worse for him.”  She looked at all of them pointedly and they nodded quickly in acknowledgement of her warning.  “We’d like to keep him overnight, to make sure he doesn’t fall asleep, but he should be able to go home in the morning.  He’s going to very sore for a while, he’ll need rest and fluids.”

“Yes, of course, thank you so much Doctor…”

“Fell.  Doctor Meredith Fell.”  She shook Jenna’s hand and then went on her way.  Jenna hugged Elena, both of their faces streaming with tears of relief.  

 

Jenna and Elena decided to stay there at the hospital until Jeremy was discharged.  Neither one could bear the thought of leaving him overnight.  So they sat up with him in his room, playing rummy and trying not to wake the other patients.  As the night wore on, their sleep-deprived antics were making Jeremy wince every time he tried not to laugh, but Elena didn’t care.  As long as he was there, breathing right next to her, she would make him laugh no matter how much it hurt.  

It was somewhere between the middle of the night and the early morning hours when Bonnie found them.  She looked strangely disheveled, like she’d been running through the woods, and Elena was immediately on high alert.  

“Elena!”  She threw herself into her friend’s arms.  “You’re okay!”

“Bonnie, what happened to you?”  Elena pulled her friend into the hallway so they could talk.

“I’m so sorry Elena!  If I had known what was going to happen…”

Elena hugged her tightly.  She knew Bonnie felt that because she sometimes sensed things before they happened, she should be able to prevent all the bad things from ever happening.  She couldn’t imagine what that must be like.  Then something occurred to Elena and she looked at her friend sharply.

“Bonnie, why did you call me tonight?  Why did you want me to come to the pep rally?”

“I swear, Elena,”  Bonnie was close to tears.  “I swear if I’d had any idea what was going to happen to Jeremy I never would have…”

“Tell me, Bonnie.”

“It was the numbers!”  Her words came out in a rush.  “I kept seeing those same numbers over and over again.  8, 14, 22.  8, 14, 22.  I couldn’t figure it out!  I tried all the combination locks in the school, none of them opened.  I tried searching online, I looked in the library, nothing.  And I kept feeling this darkness closing in all around me, I couldn’t escape it.  I knew something bad was going to happen, but I had no idea what.  So I thought…”

“What?  What did you think?”

“I thought maybe if you came to the pep rally that Stefan would be with you, and if I could touch him again…”

“You used me as bait?!”  Elena’s voice came out louder than she intended and she heard some of the patients stirring in the next room.  

“I didn’t know what else to do.”  Bonnie raised her chin defiantly.

“You could have asked me.  You could have told me the truth!”

“Come on, Elena, I sound like a crazy person.  I feel like I’m losing it!”

Elena couldn’t deny she had a point.  Bonnie had never seemed so out of control before, and it worried her.  

“It’s okay, Bonnie, we can figure this out together.”

“There’s no need.  I know what the numbers mean now.”  Her voice was hollow.

“Well what was it?”

“Coach Tanner is dead.  He was found in the school parking lot next to building 8, behind bus 14, in space 22.”

“Oh, my god.”  Elena sat down on the floor and leaned her back against the wall of Jeremy’s room.  “How?”

“An animal attacked him.”

“What?”  Elena gasped.  “But that was-”

“What happened to Vicki, I know.”

“What kind of animal would do that?  Come out of the woods and attack people in the middle of town?”

“That’s what I wanted to find out.”  Bonnie answered gravely.

“Oh, Bonnie, tell me you didn’t.”

“I followed the trail into the woods.  I had to know what was going on.”

Elena gripped her friend’s arm tight enough to turn her skin white.  She had almost lost the two people closest to her in one night.  It was too much to contemplate.

“I never saw the animal.  But all those hunting trips my dad forced me to take with him finally paid off.  I found one fresh print in the trail leading away from the parking lot.”

“So, was it a wolf?”

Bonnie shook her head, eyes wide with terror.  “No.  It was a human footprint.”

“That could have happened anytime.”  Elena tried to rationalize, but Bonnie shook her head.  

“There was blood inside the footprint.  Fresh blood.”

“Are you telling me that someone is attacking people and making it look like an animal did it?”

Bonnie shook her head again.  “I’m telling you that the animal attacking people is a human.  A human who has teeth like a wolf.”


	4. Chapter 4

By Monday morning, Jeremy was recovering on the couch and Jenna was back to her usual self, shouting obscenities at the TV while Jeremy clutched his cracked rib as he shook with laughter.  

“What did the news guy ever do to you?”  Elena asked, joining in with Jeremy’s laughter.  It was just too funny to see her so mad, and it felt good to laugh a little after worrying all weekend about what Bonnie had told her.  For the past two nights she had been plagued by nightmares of a snarling wolf-man creature.

“Didn’t your mom ever tell you why I left Mystic Falls for college?”  Jenna asked.

“You and him?  No way.”  Elena looked at the news anchor on TV again.  “He’s cute.”  She surmised.

“He is not cute!  There is nothing cute about him.”  Jenna resumed her cursing and Elena sat down at the kitchen table, shaking her head and still laughing.  She opened the box she had brought down from the attic, took a deep breath, and looked inside.  It always hurt whenever she had to go through her parents’ belongings.  She often felt like there was loose shrapnel moving around inside her, stabbing at her heart whenever she thought about her parents.  Sometimes it caught her off guard when random things would spark a memory and pain would shoot through her, but this time she was expecting it.  The box contained her parents’ wedding rings, along with many heirlooms that had been passed down through the Gilbert generations.  She rummaged around, looking for one specific item.  Finally at the bottom of the box her hand closed around a pocket watch.

“What are you doing with that?”  Jenna asked, leaning in to get a closer look.    

“Mrs. Lockwood called me yesterday.  She pretended to ask how Jeremy was doing but then she asked about our ancestor Jonathan Gilbert’s pocket watch.  Apparently, mom had promised to loan it to the Founder’s Council for their heritage display.”  Elena finished polishing the watch, then examined it looking for the clasp.  Before she could figure out how to open it, Jeremy snatched it out of her hand.  

“That was Dad’s!  You can’t just give it away!”  He shouted, then pocketed it and made his way angrily upstairs.  Elena didn’t have the heart to fight with him about it right then and decided to deal with it later.  He probably had shrapnel of his own.

 

When Elena got to school, she looked for Stefan right away.  The way he had come to Jeremy’s aid at the pep rally and then been there at the hospital to comfort her afterwards had reinforced her decision to give him a second chance.  Bonnie’s warning seemed unfounded now.  After all, how could someone who went around saving people be some kind of harbinger of death?

“Hi,”  he grinned at her warmly, leaning in for a kiss.  She pressed herself against him as the kiss deepened and then intensified.  When they finally broke apart it was a while before she could catch her breath.

“Thank you,”  She breathed, looking into his eyes.

“Anytime,”  He grinned, and kissed her again.

“I didn’t mean that,” she laughed, kissing him back.  “I meant what you did for Jeremy.   I can’t stop thinking about what might have happened if you hadn’t-”

“It was nothing,” he shrugged.

“It was not nothing, and I am eternally grateful.”

“Oh yeah?”  His eyes sparkled mischievously.  “How grateful?”  His hands traced the soft skin at the small of her back and she shivered.

“Well that depends,”  she teased.  “How do you look in a suit?”

“I can pull one off,”  he laughed.  “Why?”

“How would you like to be my date to the Founder’s Party Friday night?”

“They still do those?”  His brow furrowed.

“Oh, have you been before?”  Elena frowned.  She thought he had just moved here.  

“No, the Salvatore’s don’t get invited anymore.”  His voice was bitter.  

“Aren’t they one of the Founding Families?”

“Yes but apparently there was a dispute at some point.”  He replied cryptically.

“Well, this year there’s this Heritage project that was really important to my mom.  She was really involved in the Founder’s Council and this was her favorite party.”

Stefan’s face softened.  “I would be honored to accompany you, Miss Gilbert.”  He agreed, and Elena grinned.

“The pleasure’s all mine, Mr. Salvatore.”  She responded, giving the words her most seductive inflection.

The bell rang and they started walking into the school hand in hand.

“Did you hear what happened to Coach Tanner?”  Elena asked Stefan as they walked.  

“Yeah, another animal attack.”  

She didn’t tell him about Bonnie’s discovery.  It was too much to even contemplate, let alone say it out loud.

 

* * *

 

Bonnie watched Elena and Stefan walking into school together and had to stop herself from running over and snatching her friend away from him.  She had a very strong suspicion about who- or what- was responsible for killing coach Tanner.  But she couldn’t say anything until she had proof.  She didn’t want to tip her hand, it was too dangerous.  And so she would wait, and hope against hope that nothing happened to Elena in the meantime.

 

* * *

 

Jeremy was in his room playing on his computer when his sister got home from school.  She stood in his doorway and asked him a question, but he couldn’t hear her under his headphones so he ignored her.  Finally she walked in and pulled them off of his ears.  

“Where is it?”  She demanded.

“Where’s what?”  He grumbled.  Now he’d have to start this level all over again.

“You know what.  The pocket watch.”

“It’s not yours to give away.”  He told her.

“Mom promised to lend it to the Council!  Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”  Elena screeched.

“Screw you!”  He yelled back at her, standing and walking over to his dresser.  He pulled the watch out of the top drawer and threw it to her.  “It’s supposed to be mine.”  He told her quietly.

“What?”

“Dad said it goes to the first born son.  His dad gave it to him, and now what?”  He glared at her and her shoulders sagged.  

“And Dad was going to give it to you.”  She nodded in understanding.  She handed it back to him, squeezing his palm when she did.

Jeremy waited for her to leave, then looked down at the watch in his hand.  When he was a kid, his dad had shown him how to open it.  He took the tiny key from the chain around his neck and unlocked it, gazing down at what was not in fact a watch but a compass.  As always, the needle clicked and spun erratically, never pointing north.

 

* * *

 

When Friday night arrived, Caroline walked up to the Lockwood mansion with Mia proudly on her arm.  They were both dressed to the nines, and Caroline beamed as all eyes noticed their approach.  Mia hesitated on the threshold until Mayor Lockwood walked past and noticed them standing there.

“Caroline, hi.  Won’t you both come in?  Your mom’s right over there.”

“Thank you Mayor Lockwood.”  Caroline smiled and they entered the party.  “I’ll be right back.”  She told Mia, and walked over to the woman in a Sheriff’s uniform standing in the corner.

“Really, you couldn’t even change out of the badge for this?”  She snapped at her mom.

“I’m working, honey.”  Sheriff Forbes replied.  “Who’s the date you just tried to sneak past me?”

“Just some girl,”  Caroline rolled her eyes.  Her mom only seemed to care about her life when she was doing something she wouldn’t approve of.  

“Where’s your dad?”

“In Memphis.”  Caroline started to walk away.  “With Steven.”  She shot back over her shoulder, glad to have a parting shot to cover the anger her mother always brought out in her.  Making sure her mom was still watching, Caroline grabbed two flutes of champagne and handed one to Mia, taking a long gulp and then kissing her deeply.

 

Mia pretended to kiss Caroline’s neck, letting her fangs slide forward so she could pierce the delicate skin that covered her carotid artery.  She drank deeply, savoring the exquisite taste, before forcing herself to stop and replacing the scarf around Caroline’s neck.  She then discreetly bit her own wrist and let a few drops of her blood fall into Caroline’s champagne, healing her wound as she downed the rest of the glass.  

They walked out toward the back lawn, holding hands and giggling.  

“Will these bites turn me into a vampire?”  Caroline asked, and Mia heard the unmistakable hope in her voice.

“No.”  She answered.  “You have to drink my blood, then die, then feed on a human.  It’s a whole ordeal.”  She waved her hand dismissively.  Caroline filed the information away for later. 

“You look so hot tonight.”  Mia murmured, nuzzling Caroline’s ear.  Caroline trembled, relishing the feeling.  All Mia had to do was touch her once and it set her heart racing.  She had never felt so good in her life.  

“You’re not so bad yourself.”  She managed to return.

“Will you do something for me?”  Mia asked her, her blue eyes looking up at Caroline.

“Anything.”  Caroline answered, and she meant it.

Mia leaned in and whispered her request into Caroline’s ear.

 

* * *

 

Elena arrived at the Lockwood mansion full of trepidation.  She had been looking forward to this event, but when she saw Mayor Lockwood standing inside his front door welcoming his guests she was overcome with anger about what Tyla had done to Jeremy.  She looked around for the mayor’s daughter but didn’t see her anywhere.  Only Stefan’s calming presence at her side convinced her to keep walking up the steps to the door.

Mayor Lockwood invited them both in graciously, then asked Elena for a word in private.  “How is your brother doing?”  He asked as they stepped inside his office.

“He’s recovering.  It’s been a slow process.”  She answered coldly.

“I’ve always maintained that alcohol is the scourge of today’s youth.”

“Most kids do stupid things, yes.”  Elena answered, looking him in the eyes.  “They don’t beat someone within an inch of their life.”  The Mayor at least had the decency to look away.  “Where’s Tyla this evening?”

“Tyla is finishing the semester at military school.”  

“Good.”  Elena nodded, satisfied.  

“If there is anything your brother needs, or yourself for that matter…”

“We don’t need your money.”  Elena scoffed.  “Just keep Tyla away from us.”

Mayor Lockwood nodded once in acknowledgement and Elena left the study.

 

Elena rejoined Stefan and the other guests, determined to enjoy herself this evening.  They wandered over to take a look at the heritage display that originally was supposed to include Jonathan Gilbert’s pocket watch.  Elena didn’t feel any remorse about telling Mrs. Lockwood that she hadn't been able to find it.  The watch was where it belonged.  

Stefan was looking at each piece of the collection intently.  Elena had had a feeling he would appreciate this display, with his penchant for history.  They wandered amongst the display cases, sharing glances across the room, sometimes crossing paths as they explored.  When they did, Stefan would run his hand lightly down her hair or across her bare shoulders, making her shiver.

“Hey Stefan, look at this!”  She called out to him excitedly.  “It’s a registry from the very first Founders' Council Celebration.  Look at all the signatures.  So many familiar names.”  She started to read aloud.  “Mayor Benjamin Lockwood, Sheriff William Forbes.  Jonathan Gilbert!”  She looked over at Stefan excitedly.  He was approaching her with a deep frown on his face.  She turned back to the document on the wall, feeling uncomfortable.  She cleared her throat and kept reading.  “‘Damiana Salvatore.’  She must be your ancestor.  Wait,”  She leaned in to look closer at the next name on the list.  “Does that say ‘Stefan Salvatore’?  Is that who you were named after?”

“The original Salvatores.”  Mia’s voice came from behind them.  She entered the room with Caroline on her arm.  “Tragic story, actually.”

“We don’t need to bore them with stories from the past.”  Stefan told her forcefully.

“It’s not boring, Stefan.  I’d love to learn more about your family.”  Elena encouraged, hoping to remind him of his promise to be more forthcoming with her.

“Well, I’m bored.”  Caroline interjected.  “I want to dance, and Mia won’t dance with me.”  She pursed her lips into an exaggerated pout.  “Maybe I could borrow your date?”  She asked Elena.

“Um…”  Elena shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably.  She was definitely not okay with Caroline dancing with Stefan, but didn’t feel like she could just say that.

“I don’t really dance,”  Stefan answered for her and she exhaled in relief.  

“Oh, sure he does.  The waltz, the jitterbug, the moonwalk, he does them all.”  Mia encouraged him.  

“Well I’m sorry, but I’m not going to take ‘no’ for an answer.”  Caroline grabbed Stefan’s hand and pulled him out to the dance floor, leaving Mia alone with Elena.  

“So, what’s with making Stefan dance with Caroline?”  Elena asked her, taking a gamble on whose idea it was.

“I needed a break from Caroline.”  Mia answered, surprising Elena with her frankness.  “That girl talks faster than I can listen.”

Elena laughed, nodding at how true that was.  “So, the original Salvatores?”  she prompted, still curious.

“They say that those in the Salvatore family have been cursed with sibling rivalry.”  Mia answered.  “And it all started with the original sister and brother.”  She pointed to the names on the guest list.  “The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town.  Until the war.  There was a battle here, the-

“Battle of Willow Creek.”  Elena cut in.  She was no stranger to her town’s history.

“Right.”  Mia sounded impressed.

“Confederate soldiers fired on a church that had civilians inside.”  Elena continued.

“Yes, but what the history books left out,” Mia stepped closer to Elena,  “was that the civilians weren’t there by accident.  They were believed to be Union sympathizers, so some of the Founders on the Confederate side wanted them rounded up and burned alive.”

Elena gasped, horrified.  Mia looked grief-stricken as she finished her story.

“Damiana and Stefan had someone they loved very much inside that church.  And when they tried to rescue her they were shot.  Murdered in cold blood, by their own father.”

“Who was in the church that they wanted to save?”  Elena asked softly, caught up in the story.

“A woman.”  Mia answered simply, her blue eyes boring into Elena’s.  “Doesn’t it always come down to the love of a woman?”

Mia’s gaze lingered, and Elena fidgeted with her purse, trying to look anywhere else besides the deep pools of her eyes that always seemed to draw her in.  Mia noticed her discomfiture.

“I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable.  That’s not my intention.”

“Yes it is.”  Elena accused.  “Otherwise you wouldn’t put an alternate meaning behind everything you say.”  She was angry that this girl always managed to affect her so strongly.  Mia looked shocked that Elena had called her out.  “Look, I’m sorry that you and Stefan have this thing between you but I can’t get in the middle of it,  _ Damiana _ .  I just hope you two can work it out.”

“I hope so too.”  Mia nodded, but her chin was set and her lips pressed tightly together.  Elena suspected a reconciliation was far from imminent.  

 

Elena sought out Stefan where he was dancing with Caroline.  She tapped Caroline’s shoulder, a little harder than necessary, and asked to cut in.  Stefan grinned as his hands wrapped around her waist.  

“Thank you for rescuing me.”  He whispered in her ear.

“Anytime.”  She replied, and they made their way around the dance floor slowly.  

“I hope Mia didn’t drive you too crazy.”  Stefan told her after a moment.

“Only a little.”  Elena laughed.  “But I’m definitely getting a sense of why she is the way she is.”

Stefan tilted his head, confused.

“That it all goes back to Katherine.”  Elena explained.  

Stefan frowned, and spun her around to deflect.  Elena let him off the hook for a while, enjoying their dancing, but she wasn’t ready to let the subject drop.

“So tell me what happened there.”  She asked.  “Between you, and Katherine, and Mia.”

“Mia said something, didn’t she?”  Stefan asked.  “Something about how I supposedly stole Katherine away from her?”

“Actually I figured it out on my own.  At least, the part where both of you dated her.”  Elena could feel anger bubbling up inside of her.  “But how am I supposed to know what to believe if you won’t tell me your side?”

“This is what she does.”  Stefan griped.  “She loves to stir things up, cause trouble.”

“This isn’t about Mia!”  Elena raised her voice in frustration.  “This is about me trying to get to know you, remember?  You promised, you promised me you would at least try.  Otherwise, I’m left with nothing but what other people tell me.”

“But don’t you see what Mia has done here?  She’s trying to turn you against me!”

“Are my ears ringing?’  Mia interrupted them.  Elena looked down at her feet, embarrassed.

“Stay out of it Mia.”  Stefan glared at her.  

“Apparently I can’t, since I’m the one who loves to cause trouble.”  She glared back at Stefan before rounding on Elena.  “And what happened to you not getting in the middle of it?”

Elena couldn’t meet her eyes.  She was right, she was doing exactly what she had told Mia she wouldn’t.

“I’m sorry,”  She apologized.  “I just wish you two could move past this.  You’re still family.”

“Not anymore.”  Stefan said.

“But-” Elena started.

“Don’t go there Elena.”  Mia warned her, eyes flashing angrily.

“What!”  Elena cried.  “What is so terrible that you can’t just forgive each other?”

“Because he’s the reason she died!”  Mia shouted.  Everyone stopped and looked in their direction.  Mia swiped at the tears on her cheeks and grabbed Caroline by the hand, leading her away.  Stefan looked like she’d punched him right in the gut.

Elena was thunderstruck.  Was that what Bonnie had seen when she touched Stefan?  She remembered the intense guilt on his face when he told her about Katherine’s death.  She wished she knew what had happened, but there was no way she was going to ask now.  She reached for Stefan’s hand, thinking to comfort him, but he flinched away from her and then turned and stomped away.  

_ Fine _ , she thought, and stormed off the find the restrooms.  When she entered, she ran into Caroline in front of the mirror fixing her makeup.

“Nice going back there.”  Caroline admonished her.

“Don’t even start with me Caroline.”  Elena sighed heavily, too emotionally exhausted to deal with her.  

“Hey, it’s not my fault that Stefan doesn’t tell you anything.”  She gloated.  She leaned forward toward the mirror to get a closer look while reapplying her lipstick.  As she did, her scarf shifted and Elena glimpsed a huge red laceration on her neck.

“Caroline!”  she cried, reaching for the scarf to get a better look.

“Keep your hands to yourself!”  Caroline stepped out of reach and grabbed her bag to leave.  “It’s nothing.”

“Okay, that is not nothing.  What happened?”  She snatched at the scarf, pulling it off to reveal numerous swollen bite marks.  Elena gasped when she realized what they were.

“It’s none of your business.”  Caroline grabbed her scarf back and carefully wound it around her neck.

“Did...did Mia do this to you?”  

“No!  Of course not!  Just leave me alone, okay?”  She stomped out of the restroom, leaving Elena staring at the door in shock.  

Elena hurried to follow her, but when she opened the door she ran right into Mia.

“Look,”  Elena glared at her.  “I don’t care what happened to you in the past, there is nothing that justifies hurting someone.  If you ever go near Caroline again I won’t hesitate to call her mother, the Sheriff.”

Mia looked stunned, but didn’t even bother trying to deny anything.  Elena walked away from her, anxious to get away from this party and everything that had happened.  She and Caroline had never been friends, but that didn’t mean she would just sit idly by while someone was hurting her.

She saw Stefan standing by car waiting for her.  

“I need to talk to you.” She said as she approached.

“Look, what Mia said about Katherine-” he started.

“We can talk about that later.”  Elena cut him off.  “You were right about Mia.  She’s trouble.”

“What did she do?”  Stefan raised his eyebrows.  

“Caroline has horrible bite marks all over her!”  Elena was close to tears.  “She tried to deny it but I know it was Mia.  How could she do something like that?”

Stefan closed his eyes and hung his head.

“You don’t look surprised.”  Elena accused him.  If he knew about this and didn’t tell anyone…

“I’m handling it.”  He answered.

“Handling it?!  She should be arrested!”

“It’s more complicated than that.  There are things you don’t understand.”

“So then clear it up for me.”  She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

“There are things you don’t know, okay?  Things I want to tell you, but I can’t.  I may never be able to.  I just need you to trust me.”

“Trust has to be earned.” she answered.

They stared at each other for a moment, neither one willing to give in.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”  Caroline appeared out of nowhere to interrupt their stand-off.  “You haven’t figured it out yet?  You know, for being the top of the class you can be really dense sometimes Elena.”

“Figured out what exactly?”  Elena rounded on her.

“Caroline…”  Stefan warned, but she ignored him.

“They’re vampires.”


End file.
